Kevin McKiernan goes out on top
30 years ago, Kevin McKiernan CEO & Founder of Creative License a top independent music supervision & licensing, celebrity talent & IP resource, was looking at the exit sign of a small licensing company. He was reading the tea leaves. He knew it was about to end. When it did and the clients discovered, they said, “wherever you’re going, we’re going”. Thus, was born Creative License.
After a roller coaster ride as an actor and a wild mis-spent Catholic youth, he landed a job at a rights & permissions company. There he discovered his true calling “to champion the impossible”. That relentless grit became part of Creative License’s DNA, fueling its success for the coming decades. Valerie, his wife, and a practicing psychotherapist provided HR. She brought the much-needed counterbalance of family to the venture, integrating their 2 sons into their lives and business. Thirty years later, Creative License has thousands of high-profile, award-winning ads to its name, working with brands including GM, Ford, State Farm, Walmart, Campbell’s and Stellantis, Delta and with leading agencies and PR firms including High Dive, Publicis, Ogilvy, Deutsch and others.
Along the way, Kevin and his teams have helped bring some of advertising’s most exciting, ambitious ideas to life, pairing iconic celebrity talent, popular music and beloved IP with many of the industry’s biggest campaigns. This included dozens of top ten and number one Super Bowl spots including the 2026 HarrisX Gen Z #1-ranked Super Bowl spot, featuring Sabrina Carpenter, along with Bill Murray “Groundhog Day” for JEEP and Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny Devito for State Farm amongst many others.
Kevin found he was developing a specific ethos for Creative License, changing the industry paradigm from that of a payday to an opportunity. This became a hallmark of the Creative License experience. The “WHY” of Creative License drew an accomplished team whose character and growing reputation for delivering the impossible was preceding them. To dozens of high-profile clients, Creative License was on the other end of the Bat Phone. When the assignment was ambitious, complicated, or seemingly impossible, you would mobilize the Creative License Navy SEALS to champion your cause. And, during many of the ensuing years, Creative License was the largest independent buyer of music, talent and IP in the advertising/entertainment industry.
In the midst of another banner year of exciting work and strong billings, Kevin decided to pull the plug. An epiphany told him that a clean break was the right way to close a remarkable chapter in a field that had been extraordinarily generous to him and his team. He leaves with profound gratitude for an industry that gave him far more than a career, and for every person who gave him the opportunity to make a difference, whether by joining the Creative License team of specialists or trusting that team with their precious marketing aspirations.
We spoke to Kevin McKiernan as he reflected on his choice to wind down Creative License.
“Why close Creative License this way, why now? Surely, you considered selling to an M&A firm, holding company, or private investor(s)?
I get it. It may seem unusual to close the company in the midst of another big year. We turned away two Super Bowl ads just this past two weeks. And yes, there have been several serious overtures from the investment and advertising worlds about buying CL or merging other firms with us.
I am clearly leaving money on the table. But this venture was never about the money. It was about the chance to relentlessly advocate for our clients and the love of the work. It was about building great teams and watching them blossom into experts collaboratively solving all manner of problems. Then, like a college coach, watching them go out into the world, imbued with those skills, and make a difference. That’s been rewarding.
So, you are closing Creative License while riding high?
Yes! A good friend in the industry told me that closing CL this way, simply turning the key and pulling it out, was the most Kevin McKiernan thing he could imagine me doing. I resonate with that. I’d rather choose the moment than have the moment choose me.
Michael walked away with 6 rings! I’ve always admired people who knew when it was time to go. Bill Graham shut down the Fillmore East while at the top of its game. The final night had Albert King, the Dead & Allman Brothers closing the show. He locked the door and walked away. Federer, still on top when he retired. St. Paul? More examples?…
I never planned to do CL forever. I certainly didn’t want to wait until the business was winding down. There’s something exciting about leaving when the phone is still ringing, the work is still great, with clients putting creative and business ideas in front of us for 2027.
Was there a temptation to keep the work going a little longer?
Of course, but when you’re born to the “work”, when it’s “who you are”, your DNA, it’s not really work. It’s the way you are wired, how you roll. These things are hard to turn away from. And then you find there’s always another project, another client, another “what if?” to keep going! Someone says, “Hey! we heard about you, we want to work with you too!”. It’s hard to say no, but at some point, you have to reflect on whether you are staying because you truly want to, or simply because you can.
What’s next?
Marveling at my son’s Jesse Jake & Cody Luke’s mad, wicked band, Kota Dosa, as they explode out of NOLA with this magical, bluesy, rockin’ sound. They’re wrapping up a 32-day festival tour, and every gig lands them four more. I fully plan on sitting in the audience watching them play Saturday Night Live in the not-too-distant future. No doubt, it’s written in the stars, Kota Dosa is coming.
Of course. I’ll still be drawn to the places where someone says “no” and I can’t help wondering if there’s a way to turn it into a “yes”. Onwards!
